Sir David Attenborough is people’s choice for renaming airport

East Midlands residents have voted to rename their airport after award-winning naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

More than half (55 percent) of people picked the international icon as the man to champion East Midlands Airport in a survey commissioned by HolidayExtras.com

A call from the region’s residents to rename the airport follows the news that Birmingham Airport could be renamed Shakespeare’s Airport to attract international visitors to the region.

Among the other famous sons and daughters from the region, Robin Hood’s sweetheart Maid Marion came a distant second with one in five votes. She was followed closely in popularity by the famous skating duo Torvill and Dean and footballer Gary Lineker. Designer Paul Smith was a fashionable choice among male voters with four times as many votes as super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch.

Ant Clarke Cowell, communications director at Holiday Extras, commented “While we’re not aware of any plans to change the name at East Midlands Airport, popular British figures such as Robin Hood and Shakespeare have been used to highlight other UK airports, so we decided to find out who the people of the East Midlands would choose as their international icon.”

Sir David has received more than 30 honorary degrees from around the world and received the Freedom of the City of Leicester.

Mr Cowell added: “During the time that I studied at Leicester Uni it was clear to me what an iconic figure he was to the people of the region and how proud residents of the city are of his achievements.”

“Sir David Attenborough is admired across the globe as well as by East Midlands’ people. His passion for natural history and broadcasting first began at the university there, and it’s great to see East Midlanders choosing to recognise him in this way.”

East Midlands Airport is the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom for passenger traffic.Last year around 4.5million people passed through its terminals.

It is a hub for low fare airlines such as Jet2.com and Ryanair and tour operators like Thomson Airways which serve domestic and European short-haul destinations. It is also a base for BMI Regional, Flybe, and Thomas Cook Airlines.